Key Factors to Evaluate Before Investing in AT&T (T)

By Tamara Parker • Thursday, January 02 10:11 • Permanent Link

We're taking a closer look at AT&T today, as the chatter surrounding the stock has increased notably in the last few weeks. Today, its shares moved 1.0% compared to 1.0% for the S&P 500. Increased investor interest and volatility surrounding the stock are not reason enough to buy in -- you should first perform your own due diligence. Here are some figures that can get you started:

AT&T Inc. provides telecommunications and technology services worldwide.
AT&T has moved 32.8% over the last year compared to 25.4% for the S&P 500 -- a difference of 7.3%
T has an average analyst rating of buy and is -10.75% away from its mean target price of $25.77 per share
Its trailing 12 month earnings per share (EPS) is $1.23
AT&T has a trailing 12 month Price to Earnings (P/E) ratio of 18.7 while the S&P 500 average is 29.3
Its forward earnings per share (EPS) is $2.24 and its forward P/E ratio is 10.3
The company has a Price to Book (P/B) ratio of 1.61 in contrast to the S&P 500's average ratio of 4.74
AT&T is part of the Telecommunications sector, which has an average P/E ratio of 20.57 and an average P/B of 2.36
AT&T has on average reported free cash flows of $23.81 Billion over the last four years, during which time they have grown by an an average of -4.5%

The above analysis is intended for educational purposes only and was performed on the basis of publicly available data. It is not to be construed as a recommendation to buy or sell any security. Any buy, sell, or other recommendations mentioned in the article are direct quotations of consensus recommendations from the analysts covering the stock, and do not represent the opinions of Market Inference or its writers. Past performance, accounting data, and inferences about market position and corporate valuation are not reliable indicators of future price movements. Market Inference does not provide financial advice. Investors should conduct their own review and analysis of any company of interest before making an investment decision.